Most modern cars ship with dozens of settings buried three menus deep, and the owner's manual rarely points them out. After reading this, you will be able to find and switch on 20 of the most useful ones, from rolling down the windows with your key fob to stopping your car from beeping at you every time you reverse. Budget about 30-45 minutes with your car parked and the ignition on, and you can knock out most of the list in one sitting.
What you need before you start
- Your car's infotainment system, plus the physical buttons on the steering wheel, doors and centre console.
- Your key fob (both of them if you have a spare, since some settings save per key).
- Your owner's manual, either paper or the PDF version from the manufacturer's site. Every car names things differently, so search the PDF for the exact phrase in each step.
- Your phone with the manufacturer's connected-car app installed if your car supports one.
- Nothing else. No account, no subscription and no tools are needed for most of these.
One warning before the fun stuff: never change settings while driving. Park, put the car in P or apply the parking brake, and take your time.
1. Roll the windows down with your key fob
Press and hold the unlock button for three to five seconds. On many cars built in the last 15 years, all the windows drop, which is a lifesaver on a hot day. If nothing happens, the feature may be off in a menu called something like "Comfort Opening" or "Remote Window Control." Check your manual for the exact name.
Tip: Some cars also close the windows if you hold the lock button, but only if you keep holding until they are fully up.
2. Set your mirrors to tilt down when you reverse
Find "Mirror Dip in Reverse" in the settings menu, or set it by putting the car in reverse with the mirror adjustment switch set to the left or right mirror. The mirror tilts down so you can see the kerb. This saves you from scuffing your alloys, especially on tight parallel parks.
3. Turn off the reverse beep (or quieten it)
That chime when you shift into reverse is not always mandatory. Look under "Chimes," "Alerts" or "Reverse Warning" in the settings. On many models you can set it to a single beep or silence it entirely. Check local rules first, since some regions require an audible reverse warning.
4. Change your lane-keep assist sensitivity
If the steering wheel tugs at you when you cross a painted line, you don't have to live with it. The setting is usually split into two parts: the warning (a vibration or beep) and the intervention (the steering nudge). You can often keep the warning and turn the correction to its lowest setting, or off. The button is normally on the steering wheel or a small panel to the left of it.
5. Set the driver profile to your key fob
Many cars link seat position, mirrors, climate and radio presets to the key you unlock with. Look for "Key Memory," "Driver Profiles" or a numbered button on the door. Assign profile 1 to one fob and profile 2 to the other, and stop adjusting your seat after your partner drives.
6. Use the "one-touch" three-blink indicator
A light tap on the indicator stalk should blink three times for a lane change. If yours does one blink or none, check "Comfort Turn Signal" or "Triple Blink" in settings. Some cars let you choose three, four or five blinks.
7. Find the hidden storage and the valet mode
Pull up the boot floor, open the glovebox, and check under the front passenger seat. Many cars have a false floor, a hidden cubby or a small drawer. Separately, look for "Valet Mode" in settings. It locks the infotainment and glovebox so a parking attendant cannot rifle through your stuff.
8. Enable walk-away locking
If your car locks itself when you walk away with the fob, that is a setting, not magic. Search "Walk-Away Lock," "Auto Lock" or "Passive Locking." Turn it on and you will stop second-guessing whether you locked the car. Test it in your driveway before you trust it in a car park.
9. Adjust the headlight delay ("Follow Me Home")
After you switch off, pull the high-beam stalk once and the headlights stay on for 30-90 seconds while you walk to your door. Some cars let you set the exact duration in the lighting menu. Genuinely useful if you park on an unlit street.
10. Personalise the digital key or phone key
If your car supports a phone key or digital key card, set it up in the manufacturer's app. You can usually share a temporary key with a family member and set speed or range limits for a new driver. The steps are app-specific, so follow the in-app prompts and verify access works before relying on it.
11. Set speed limit warnings, not just cruise control
Most cars can read speed signs and warn you when you drift over. Look for "Speed Limit Warning," "Intelligent Speed Assist" or a similar name. Set the warning threshold, often +3 to +5 mph, so it alerts you without nagging on every slight downhill.
12. Use the climate "Auto" button properly
Press Auto once and set your temperature. The system handles fan speed, vents and recirculation. If you keep fiddling with fan speed, you are fighting the system. Also check "Auto Recirculation," which shuts off outside air when it detects exhaust fumes in traffic.
13. Set your home charging schedule
If you own an EV or plug-in hybrid, schedule charging to start during off-peak hours. The setting lives in the car's charging menu or in the charging app. This is one of the few hidden features that saves real money. If you are weighing up an EV against a petrol car, our head-to-head EV comparisons break down running costs and daily usability side by side.
14. Precondition the cabin from your phone
Remote start or remote climate lets you cool or heat the car before you get in. In an EV, do this while still plugged in so you are not draining the battery. Find it under "Remote Climate," "Preconditioning" or in the connected app.
15. Turn on the 360-degree camera and its auto mode
If your car has surround-view cameras, there is usually a setting that shows the camera automatically when you slow below walking pace or when the parking sensors trigger. Search "Auto Camera," "Low Speed Camera" or "Surround View Auto." It makes tight car parks far less stressful.
16. Adjust the boot height memory
On an electric tailgate, open the boot to the height you want, then press and hold the close button for about three seconds until you hear a chime. The car remembers that height. Perfect for low garage ceilings. The exact hold time varies, so check your manual.
17. Find your car with the fob or app
Press the lock button twice, or use the "flash lights" or "honk" button in the app. Useful in huge car parks. Some cars also show the last parked location in the app, which is worth knowing if you forget where you left it.
18. Set up the memory seats properly
Adjust the seat, mirrors and steering wheel, then press and hold the "Set" or "M" button and a number until you hear a confirmation. Do it for reverse too if your car supports a reverse-tilt memory. Now one press restores everything.
19. Silence the seatbelt chime for parked use
Careful here: never disable a safety warning for driving. Some cars allow the chime to be muted only in specific conditions, like when the car is in Park. If your manual does not clearly describe a safe, legal method, leave it alone. Do not use aftermarket defeat devices.
20. Use the onboard trip computer and efficiency display
Most cars hide a detailed energy or fuel screen showing consumption over the last 30 minutes, plus a live efficiency bar. Watching that bar teaches you to accelerate smoothly and coast to lights. On an EV, it is the single best way to stretch range. Our free EV calculators and tools can help you translate that into real-world range and charging costs.
Pro tips
- Save settings per key. If you and a partner share a car, assign each fob its own profile so the car adapts the moment you unlock it.
- Do one thing at a time. Change a setting, then test it. If you change five at once and something feels wrong, you will not know which one caused it.
- Photograph your menus. Take a phone photo of the screen before you change anything. It makes reverting easy.
- Check for software updates. Many hidden features arrive via over-the-air updates, so make sure your car is on the latest software.
- Read the manual's index, not the whole book. Search terms like "settings," "convenience" and "personalisation" to find the buried features fast.
Common pitfalls
- Changing settings while moving. Menus lock out or behave oddly at speed. Park first.
- Assuming every car has every feature. Trim levels and model years vary enormously. If you cannot find a setting, search your exact model year and trim in the manual. And verify anything you read online against your own car.
- Disabling safety systems permanently. Turning off lane-keep or emergency braking for comfort is a bad trade. If a system annoys you, lower its sensitivity rather than killing it.
- Ignoring high-voltage warnings on EVs. Cabin and low-voltage settings are fair game for any careful owner. Anything touching the traction battery, orange cables or high-voltage components is strictly a job for a qualified technician. Our EV diagnostic and fuse guides explain which jobs are safe for you and which are not.
- Forgetting to test. A walk-away lock that does not actually lock is worse than no feature at all. Test every change once, somewhere safe.
Useful resources
If you are comparing cars and want to know which hidden features come as standard, start with the EV model directory. For fault-finding when a feature stops working, the EV troubleshooting guides walk through common causes step by step. General settings help is also available in your car's own owner's manual and the manufacturer's support site, which are always the final word for your specific model.
FAQ
Do these features work on older cars? Many appeared from roughly 2010 onwards, and key-fob window control goes back further on some brands. If your car predates a feature, it may simply not be there.
Will changing settings void my warranty? Toggling menu options does not void a warranty. Cutting wires or using aftermarket defeat devices might, and it can also be illegal. Stick to the menus.
Why can't I find a setting someone mentioned online? Trim levels, model years and regional software differ. Search your manual for your exact car, and treat online lists as a starting point, not gospel.
Can I do all of this myself? Yes for infotainment, key fob, comfort and low-voltage settings. No for anything involving the high-voltage traction battery. That needs a qualified technician.
My feature stopped working after an update. What now? Restart the infotainment system, then check the setting again. If it still fails, contact your dealer, since an over-the-air update can occasionally reset preferences.
One last thing
You do not need to memorise all 20 today. Pick the three that would save you the most annoyance, set them up, and test them this week. Then come back for the rest. Your car is smarter than the showroom ever let on.
